I strongly recommend that parents and teachers read the statement on kids and covid by German and Swiss virologists, and the thread by Dr. Eckerle below. https://www.g-f-v.org/node/1326 . https://twitter.com/EckerleIsabella/status/1297822262305927168

Indeed, we have data here in Ontario suggesting that kids are infected at the same rates as adults, after adjustment for differential testing. It's a shame that our own data aren't being incorporated into policy and guidance in Ontario.

Thank goodness for Google Translate. Here's the document in English:

Opinion of the ad hoc commission SARS-CoV-2 of the Society for Virology: SARS-CoV-2 preventive measures at the start of school after the summer holidays, August 6th, 2020

In the past few weeks there has been an increase in new infections with SARS-CoV-2. Since the holidays are about to end or have just ended in some federal states, concerns about the decision to open schools are increasing.

As far as we know today, infections with SARS-CoV-2 in children are mostly mild, with significantly lower rates of hospitalization, complications and deaths than in adults.

We advocate every measure that serves the purpose of keeping schools and educational institutions open in the coming winter season. Not only the relief for working parents, but also the well-being of the children are indispensably linked to a functioning school.

However, school operations must be linked to pragmatic concepts that can eliminate or at least significantly reduce the risk of the spread of infection in schools. To effectively suppress the spread of the virus in society as a whole, it remains a basic requirement to keep ...

... the virus circulation low in schools.

At the same time, effective control of new infections in the vicinity of the schools, i.e. the private environment of students and teachers, is the best way of preventing the virus from entering schools.

We warn against the notion that children are not involved in the pandemic and transmission. Such ideas are not in accordance with scientific knowledge. ()

A lack of prevention and control measures could quickly lead to outbreaks, which then force schools to close again. Underestimating the risk of transmission in schools would be counterproductive for the child's well-being and economic recovery.

It's really nice to see a thread on school opening that's written by virologists, rather than bureaucrats and people working hard to please bureaucrats.